1906 COLLEGE HEIGHTS BLVD; TCCW 355• BOWLING GREEN, KY • 42101
PHONE (270)745-6002• E-MAIL JESSICA.ROSS@WKU.EDU
JESSICA SHAVONNE ROSS
EDUCATION
2006 - 2014
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC
Ph.D./Molecular and Cellular Biology-Biochemistry
GPA 3.414
 Completed CGS 725 Teaching Techniques course Fall 2009
 Medical University Women’s Club Scholarship
Fall 2011
2002 – 2006
Fayetteville State University
B.S./Biological Sciences Cum Laude
GPA 3.297
 Chancellor’s Scholarship Fall 2002-Spring 2006
Fayetteville, NC
WORK AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE
July 2014-Present Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY
Postdoctoral Fellow
 Postdoctoral research fellow; responsibilities include designing and
conducting experiments, analyzing and presenting data, and assisting
graduate and undergraduate students in the lab with experimental design and
troubleshooting.
Spring 2012
The Citadel
Charleston, SC
Teaching Assistant
 Graduate
teaching assistant Biology 141 (Introduction to Biology
Laboratory II). Responsibilities included supervising students during
laboratory exercises, assisting them in completing exercises and teaching
some laboratory exercises.
2005-2006
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC
Research Initiative for the Scientific Enhancement of Minority Students (RISE) Intramural
Research Scholar
 Student research assistant; responsibilities included understanding the project
through literature review, experimental design and execution, data analysis,
and presentation of data in both oral and written formats. Techniques
utilized included primary tissue harvesting, enzymatic assays, and
immunoblotting.
2005
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC
Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)
 Summer research intern; responsibilities included presentation of reviewed
literature, experimental design and execution, data analysis, communication of
data to colleagues in both oral and written formats. Techniques utilized
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included animal studies, harvest of primary tissues and cells, mammalian cell
culture, and ELISA.
2004-2005
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC
Research Initiative for the Scientific Enhancement of Minority Students (RISE) Intramural
Research Scholar
 Student research assistant; responsibilities included understanding the project
through literature review, execution of established experimental protocols,
data evaluation, and presentation of data in both oral and written formats.
Techniques utilized included mammalian cell culture, use of computer
software to evaluate data, and western blotting.
2003
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX
Summer Medical and Research Training (SMART) Program
 Student research assistant; responsibilities included review of pertinent
literature, experimental design and execution, data analysis, and
communication of data to colleagues. Techniques utilized included yeast
two-hybrid screening, PCR, and molecular cloning.
PUBLICATIONS
Foster K, McCrary W, Ross J, Wright CF. (2006) “Members of the hSWI/SNF chromatin
remodeling complex associate with and are phosphorylated by protein kinase B/Akt.”
Oncogene. 25: 4605-12
Hu W, Ross J, Geng T, Brice SE, Cowart LA. (2011) “Differential regulation of
dihydroceramide desaturase by palmitate versus monounsaturated fatty acids: implications
for insulin resistance.” Journal of Biological Chemsitry. 286(19):16596-605.
Brice SE, Ross JS, Cowart LA. (2013) “Sphingolipids in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and
metabolic disease”. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 216:373-401.
Ross JS, Hu W, Rossen B, Snider AJ, Obeid LM, Cowart LA. (2013) “Sphingosine Kinase 1 is
Regulated by PPAR alpha in response to free fatty acids and is essential for skeletal muscle
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Interleukin-6 production and signaling in diet-induced obesity.” Journal of Biological Chemistry. 288(31):
22193-22206.
Geng T, Hu W, Broadwater MH, Snider J, Bielawski J, Russo SB, Ross J, Schwacke J, Cowart LA.
(2013) “Fatty acids differentially regulate insulin resistance through endoplasm reticulum stressmediated induction of tribbles homologue 3: a potential link between dietary fat composition and
pathophysiological outcomes of obesity.” Diabetologia. 56(9): 2078-2087.
Ross JS, Russo SB, Chavis GC, Cowart LA. (2014) “Sphingolipid regulators of cellular dysfunction in
type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systems overview.” Future Medicine: Clinical Lipidology. 9(5): 553-569.
HONORS AND AWARDS
ASBMB Graduate/Postdoctoral Travel Award—2013—Boston, MA
Southern Regional Education Board Doctoral Scholar—2012-2013—Medical University of
South Carolina—Charleston, SC
Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) in Lipid Biology and New
Technologies Fellowship—2011-2013—Medical University of South Carolina—Charleston, SC
Research Supplement for Underrepresented Minorities—2009-2011—Medical University of
South Carolina—Charleston, SC
Travel award for poster presentation – March 2009 – International Charleston Ceramide
Conference – Charleston, SC
Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD) Scholar—2006-2008—Medical University
of South Carolina—Charleston, SC
Procter and Gamble Research and Development Colloquium for Undergraduate Students
Fellow—2005—Cincinnati, OH
Society of Toxicology Minority Undergraduate Education Program Particpant—2005—New
Orleans, LA
Society of Toxicology Minority Undergraduate Student and Advisor Travel Award—2005—
New Orleans, LA
POSTERS AND PRESENTATIONS
November 2013 –Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference– Cashiers, NC. Poster
Presentation: “Sphingosine Kinase 1 is regulated by PPARα in response to free fatty
acids and is essential for skeletal muscle IL-6 production in diet-induced obesity”
October 2013 –International Ceramide Conference– Montauk, NY. Poster Presentation:
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“Sphingosine Kinase 1 is regulated by PPARα in response to free fatty acids and is
essential for skeletal muscle IL-6 production in diet-induced obesity”
April 2013 –Experimental Biology/ASBMB– Boston, MA. Invited Oral Presentation:
“Sphingosine Kinase 1 is regulated by PPARα in response to free fatty acids and is
essential for skeletal muscle IL-6 production in diet-induced obesity”
April 2013 –Experimental Biology/ASBMB– Boston, MA. Poster Presentation:
“Sphingosine Kinase 1 is regulated by PPARα in response to free fatty acids and is
essential for skeletal muscle IL-6 production in diet-induced obesity”
November 2012 – MUSC Student Research Day – Charleston, SC. Oral presentation:
“Sphingosine Kinase 1 is regulated by PPARα in response to free fatty acids and is
essential for skeletal muscle IL-6 production”
November 2012 – Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference – Cashiers, NC. Oral
presentation: “Sphingosine Kinase 1 is regulated by PPARα in response to free fatty
acids and is essential for skeletal muscle IL-6 production in diet-induced obesity”
September 2012 – ASBMB Special Symposia: Frontiers in Lipid Biology – Banff,
Alberta, Canada. Poster presentation: “Sphingosine Kinase 1 is regulated by PPARα in
response to free fatty acids and is essential for skeletal muscle IL-6 production and
signaling in diet-induced obesity”
November 2011 – Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference – Cashiers, NC. Oral
presentation: “Palmitate Increases Interleukin-6 Expression through PPARα-Mediated
Induction of Sphingosine Kinase 1”
November 2010 – Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference – Cashiers, NC. Poster
presentation: “The Effects of Palmitate on Sphingosine Kinase Activity in Skeletal
Muscle”
March 2009 – Charleston Ceramide Conference – Charleston, SC. Poster presentation: “The
Effects of Sphingosine Kinase Activity and Inflammation in Skeletal Muscle”
July 2007 – Marine Biomedicine Student Research Open House – Medical University of
South Carolina – Charleston, SC. Poster presentation: “Vibrio vulnificus and V.
parahaemolyticus Densities in Oyster Samples in the Charleston, SC Area”
November 2005 – Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students—
Atlanta, GA. Poster presentation: “Mapping the Domains of Interaction Between INI1
and Akt”
November 2004—Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students—
Dallas, TX. Poster presentation: “Sphingosine-1-phosphate Attenuates TNFα
Production by Peritoneal Macrophages”
November 2003—Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students—San
Diego, CA. Poster presentation: “Mechanisms of Sister Chromatid Separation”
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